Richland County, Wisconsin: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Richland Center, Buena Vista and Richland
No data center or power plant project is on record in Richland County, but the national build-out still reaches it through its utility bill, its labor market and the projects next door. Richland County is home to Richland Center, Buena Vista, Richland and Lone Rock. Construction employs 222, up 24.7% since 2019. 54 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly solar. Its power plants have 56 MW of capacity, 89% of it solar. Wisconsin Power & Light Co is the largest utility serving Richland County, one of 7 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.89¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.25¢ median for Wisconsin utilities.
Cities and towns in Richland County
Richland County is home to Richland Center, Buena Vista, Richland and Lone Rock.
- Viola also extends into Vernon County.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Gotham, Sextonville.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Richland County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 17,281 | 17,036 | ▼ 1.4% | 60th of 72 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 5,865 | 5,878 | ▲ 0.2% | 31st of 72 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $37,197 | $48,674 | ▲ 30.9% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 178 | 222 | ▲ 24.7% | 21st of 61 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.3% | 3.0% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 54 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Employers here counted 5,878 jobs in 2025, up 0.2% from 2019. Unemployment was 3.0% in August 2026, against 3.3% in 2019. 17,036 people live here, down 1.4% since 2020.
Who powers Richland County
Net change in operating capacity since 2019: +54 MW. Colors follow the fuel legend above.
Utilities with service territory in Richland County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Power & Light Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 437,211 | 16.89¢ | 22% |
| Scenic Rivers Energy Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 13,597 | 15.23¢ | 1% |
| City of Richland Center - (WI) | Municipal | Bundled | 2,434 | 11.93¢ | 37% |
| Village of Muscoda - (WI) | Municipal | Bundled | 938 | 10.92¢ | 16% |
| Richland Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| Vernon Electric Coop | — | — | — | — | — |
| Village of Viola - (WI) | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | 50 MW | 89% |
| Battery storage | 4 MW | 6% |
| Other technologies | 2 MW | 3% |
| Petroleum | 1 MW | 2% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek (WI) | Wisconsin Power & Light Co | Solar | 50 MW | 2022 |
| Boaz Microgrid Battery | Wisconsin Power & Light Co | Battery storage | 4 MW | 2023 |
| Richland Center Renewable Energy LLC | Richland Center Renewable Energy LLC | Other technologies | 2 MW | 2013 |
| Viola | Village of Viola - (WI) | Petroleum | 1 MW | 2002 |
The Richland County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 5,878 | $48,674 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 222 | $59,761 | 0.71 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Richland County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Richland County. Wisconsin has 49 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Grant County, Sauk County.
Richland County and its neighbors
Of the 5 counties that border Richland County, Grant County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland County | 17,036 | ▲ 0.2% | 56 MW | — | — | — |
| Crawford County | 15,910 | ▼ 9.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Grant County | 52,446 | ▼ 4.2% | 453 MW | 67 MW | — | 1 |
| Iowa County | 23,951 | ▲ 3.4% | 330 MW | — | — | — |
| Sauk County | 66,652 | ▼ 1.8% | 33 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Vernon County | 31,443 | ▼ 1.4% | 5 MW | — | — | — |
More of Wisconsin
Richland County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Richland County, Wisconsin?
7 utilities have service territory in Richland County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Wisconsin Power & Light Co, Scenic Rivers Energy Coop, City of Richland Center - (WI), Village of Muscoda - (WI). The largest, Wisconsin Power & Light Co, charged residential customers 16.89¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Richland County?
4 operating plants with 56 MW of capacity. The largest is Bear Creek (WI) (50 MW, solar).
Are there data centers in Richland County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Richland County.
Is Richland County adding jobs?
Employers counted 5,878 jobs in 2025 against 5,865 in 2019 (+0.2%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 178 to 222.
Does Richland County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Richland County. Wisconsin has 49 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.